Ep. 130: ASHA 2025 Convention Recap

In this episode of SLP Full Disclosure, Michelle shares an exciting recap of the ASHA 2025 Convention in Washington, D.C. Celebrating ASHA's centennial anniversary, this year's convention was a massive gathering of nearly 15,000 speech-language pathologists, graduate students, and exhibitors from around the world.

Listen in as Michelle discusses the incredible energy at the AMN Healthcare booth, the surprising prevalence of AI in therapy discussions, and the valuable connections made with fellow professionals. She also shares personal highlights, including finally meeting her recruiter of five years and attending an inspiring session with Abby from "Love on the Spectrum." Whether you attended the convention or are curious about the latest in the SLP world, this episode covers the key takeaways, professional opportunities, and what to look forward to at ASHA 2026.

Timestamps:

00:00 - ASHA 2025 Recap

01:41 - AMN Healthcare at ASHA

03:11 - AI in Therapy

03:56 – Debunking Myths About Your Clinical Fellowship Year

04:43 - Inspiring Sessions ft. Abby from "Love on the Spectrum"

05:20 – The Joy of Meeting Podcast Guests and Colleagues in Person

About Michelle

Michelle Gage, MA CCC-SLP, embarked on her journey in speech-language pathology during her undergraduate studies at the University of Mississippi, where she also worked at North Mississippi Regional Center, gaining invaluable experience in various therapy approaches. Following her Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Central Florida, she has dedicated 25 years to empowering children and families in improving language skills and overall development. Currently residing in Mississippi, Michelle extends her expertise through telehealth services. Additionally, she proudly serves as the host of the SLP Full Disclosure podcast.

Outside of her professional commitments, Michelle is the proud mother of Mia, an accomplished middle school math teacher and all-around amazing human. In her leisure time, she indulges in her love for travel and cherishes moments spent with family and friends.

Transcript:

00:00:00:02 - 00:00:08:21 Speaker 1
Hey y'all, it's Michelle with SLP Full Disclosure. Today we are going to be doing a 2025 ASHA recap, and wow, I don't even really know where to begin. ASHA 2025 was last week at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Personally, it was my first trip to DC, but it will definitely not be my last. It was the most beautiful city and I had the most amazing time aside from ASHA.

00:00:29:04 - 00:00:47:16 Speaker 1
This year we're celebrating their centennial anniversary—100 years of ASHA. It's unbelievable. They were anticipating around 15,000 attendees, and based on what I saw, if it wasn’t 15,000 it was close to it. There were so many amazing SLPs, graduate students, exhibitors, and vendors. As a corporate sponsor, AMN had a booth there, and if you were on TikTok or in the exhibit hall you probably saw us at Booth 3312. We kept attendees fed with donuts, cake, dirty sodas, popcorn, smoothies—there was no shortage of food.

00:01:28:12 - 00:02:05:00 Speaker 1
ASHA itself is a massive event that draws professionals from across the country and even the world. I met people from other countries, which was incredible. There were over 2,500 sessions, so if there was something you wanted to learn more about, you could find it. One big theme I noticed was AI—everyone was talking about how to incorporate it into therapy, planning, and treatment. It was amazing to see.

00:02:14:13 - 00:02:44:03 Speaker 1
One of my favorite parts was meeting my recruiter Jill in person for the first time after working together virtually for five years. It was wonderful to connect on a personal level. The AMN team was amazing, with so many recruiters making over 2,000 connections with grad students and SLPs interested in virtual work, travel, and local contracts. Many people didn’t know they could travel during their clinical fellowship year, but AMN has a mentorship program to support fellows and help them complete their hours.

00:03:55:18 - 00:04:14:08 Speaker 1
We also announced a giveaway: a $500 gift certificate toward ASHA convention registration for next year and a $1,000 travel voucher. ASHA 2026 will be in Indianapolis, Indiana, and we’re excited to be there again as a corporate sponsor.

00:04:27:23 - 00:05:00:15 Speaker 1
I attended a few sessions, and one of my favorites was with Abby from Love on the Spectrum. She and her mom spoke about the lack of services for adults on the autism spectrum and shared Abby’s journey since high school. Abby was so articulate in explaining her experiences, and her mom has a book coming out soon.

00:05:20:23 - 00:06:18:00 Speaker 1
ASHA was so much fun. We made connections and met past podcast guests like Melissa from Honeybee Speech, who is incredible. We also met Dylan and Scott, developers of Nerd Chat, an AAC platform integrated into AMN’s Elevate teletherapy platform. Meeting them and seeing their work was inspiring.

00:06:35:13 - 00:07:17:08 Speaker 1
I’m already looking forward to next year. If you missed ASHA 2025, don’t worry—ASHA 2026 is coming up in Indianapolis and will be another amazing show. Thank you for tuning in to SLP Full Disclosure. You can learn more about this episode and our show on amnhealthcare.com. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. You can also find updates and SLP opportunities on Instagram @amnally. Special thanks to AMN Healthcare for making this show possible. See y’all next time!